ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Business of IT / IT Strategy

Sun looks to N1 for storage solution

By Stephen Shankland, CNet, 7 February, 2002 13:35

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Topics

Virtualisation, Hardware, Software, Sun Microsystems, Linux, Analyst, n1

NEWS
Sun Microsystems on Thursday will unveil a plan code-named "N1" to make it easier for customers to administer their profusion of computing products. N1 will involve "virtualising" hardware and software to shield administrators from the pains of managing numerous individual boxes filled with computing gear such as processors and hard disks, executives said at Sun's analyst conference in San Francisco. "The big new disruptive technology you'll hear about over the next few years is how do I virtualise my storage, my compute resources," said Sun chief operating officer Ed Zander. Indeed, virtualisation is sweeping across the storage marketplace as a way to pool lots of storage systems, often from different manufacturers, into one giant pool. Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Compaq, EMC and others all have virtualisation initiatives under way. But N1 will be broader than just storage devices, said Pat Sueltz, general manager of Sun Microsystems' software systems group and the executive ultimately responsible for the project. "You're talking about functions performed by different parts of the system," all components of the data centre ecosystem. N1 fits with several other hardware priorities at Sun, Zander said. "V1" is Sun's "vertical" work to create large, powerful servers crammed with processors such as its new Sun Fire 15K; "H1" is for large numbers of smaller "horizontal" servers; and "S1" is for storage products. Management software already is commonplace in the industry, with products such as Computer Associates' Unicenter, HP's OpenView and IBM's Tivoli in widespread use. But Sun's plan is broader, Sueltz insists, because it will focus on the availability of computing services rather than on the status of individual computers. Leading the effort is distinguished researcher Yousef Khalidi, who was instrumental in building Sun's "clustering" software for high-end systems and who reports to Solaris chief Anil Gadre and ultimately to Sueltz. Chief technology officer Greg Papadopoulos is expected to preview the N1 technology on Thursday, said chief marketing officer John Loiacono. "N1 is going to be a huge differentiator for us going forward," he said. Also on Thursday, Sun will take on the issue of Linux, a clone of Unix that competes with Sun's Solaris. "(Oracle chief executive) Larry Ellison dialled in the Linux question," quipped Zander, referring to Ellison's remark in January that the company will move its core business operations from Unix systems to cheaper Intel systems running Linux. "We're doing a lot on Linux," Zander said, mentioning the company's open-source StarOffice suite that competes with Microsoft Office, its Cobalt servers that run Linux, its open-source Forte programming tools and the iPlanet e-commerce software that runs on Linux. "Maybe we haven't marketed it well." Sun has often been lukewarm about Linux, which the company also has described as a stepping stone to Solaris with its higher-end features. But in discussions with customers, Zander said, "I am getting a lot of questions about Linux on the low end," and leading Linux seller Red Hat has targeted the replacement of Unix servers as its primary market. Five years from now, the question of Linux versus Solaris will be one that customers aren't interested in as they focus on higher-level issues, he predicted. "Do I ask you what pistons you use in your car?"
For all your GNU/Linux and open source news, from the latest kernel releases to the newest distributions, see ZDNet UK's Linux Lounge. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the Linux forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Related stories

Sun may be in storage deal with Hitachi

Low-end Sun server aimed at Intel

Heart of England NHS begins massive digitisation plan

Hard-drive woes hit PC shipments in fourth quarter

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

1 hour ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

7 hours ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

9 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

9 hours ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

11 hours ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

11 hours ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

12 hours ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

13 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

13 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

13 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

14 hours ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

14 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

14 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

14 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

17 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

18 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs
ewallace

Just to be clear, nobody knows what is in the text of ACTA, here is a photograph of the text of ACTA http://twitpic.com/8h9iju as submitted to the...

19 hours ago by ewallace on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
fgvrg56

Unfortunately main issue is that ASUS is refusing to accept that they make some mistake on this version of asus Transformer prime. 1 - GPS sensor...

20 hours ago by fgvrg56 on Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Wi-Fi & GPS problems?
Ben Woods

@Marcus A fair question. Just talked with Archos which said it was working on an announcement for next week....

21 hours ago by Ben Woods on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
Marcus Karlsson

Any update on this, considering the claimed "first week of February"?

22 hours ago by Marcus Karlsson via Facebook on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule

Latest in IT Strategy

Heart of England NHS begins massive digitisation plan

Hard-drive woes hit PC shipments in fourth quarter

Featured white papers

How cloud adds strategy to IT outsourcing

SAVVIS

How cloud adds strategy to IT outsourcing

Thanks to cloud computing, IT outsourcing is back, but this time it can help both in cutting costs and helping the business... Read more

Tech breakthroughs to watch in 2012

ZDNet UK

Tech breakthroughs to watch in 2012

From invisibility cloaks to virtual atom smashing, from Cern to Nasa, this ZDNet UK guide presents the discoveries to watch in... Read more

Key trends driving global business resilience and risk

IBM

Key trends driving global business resilience and risk

This IBM research paper looks at how businesses are thinking more about business resilience by improving the ability to adapt to a continuously changing business... Read more

Inside ZDNet UK

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

BlackBerry Bold 9790

BlackBerry Bold 9790

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault